EEG for assessing the impact of febrile status epilepticus and predicting outcomes

Acute electroencephalographic (EEG) findings in patients with febrile status epilepticus (FSE) were reported in series obtained before the advent of modern imaging. These studies suggested a relationship between acute EEG findings and the impact of FSE. The FEBSTAT study showed that focal slowing is the most significant feature associated with acute hippocampal T2 signal abnormalities on brain MRI scans, whereas the presence or absence of epileptiform activity on EEG does not appear to be relevant. Further work is needed to determine if acute EEG findings can be helpful in predicting development of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.